Today is Equal Pay Day. This date symbolizes how far into 2013 women must work to earn what men earned in 2012. The U.S. Department of Labor’s most recent study shows that on average, women earn 82 percent of what men earn. The statistics are worse for minority women.
Women, on average, not only earn less overall, but earn less in almost every industry when compared to their male counterparts doing similar work. Experts cite a number of reasons for these discrepancies; everything from claims that women don’t work the same number of hours as men to stereotypes about women which are deeply entrenched within society.
One reason for this discrepancy is that studies show that women don’t negotiate. This is factor which you can take direct control over. Your starting salary is very important in that it sets the baseline for earnings for the rest of your career. So and take charge of your compensation, and hopefully in a few years, Equal Pay Day will be a thing of the past.